American Crime Story

[angelaudie]

Apr 2, 2016 18:53:42 GMT -4 save lilo! said:

The show keeps mentioning what a media whore Ito was, but not doing much of a job detailing it out. Anyone remember some key points from the trial?

He did give an interview during the trial but didn't discuss the trial during it. He also allowed Richard Dreyfuss, who was researching the court system for a movie role, into his chambers. Marcia Clark claims there were constant stream of celebrities coming out of chambers but I'm not sure how much stock I would put in her claims. She has a tendency to blame everybody but herself for her screw ups during the trial and Judge Ito is one of her favorite targets.

It is kinda funny how Chris and Marcia go on about what a media whore Ito is yet he's one of the few players that seemed content to fade away post trial. He allegedly used his post OJ influence to bring in more court translators for non-English speaking defendants and witnesses. He's never even written a book about the trial and apparently quietly retired last year. Yet Marcia Clark will give interviews to do this day going on about what a media whore Ito is. Not was. Is.

[smitten]

I guess that's a tough description because everyone thought Ito was a screw up, fame-whore at the time. It's not something that's been added to his legacy after the verdict, so how does that come from Marcia Clark.

I think at the time a lot of people felt he was playing to the cameras or at least way more aware of them than necessary to do his job. All the side bars, side "trials," and conferences made people think he was more worried about how his decisions played to the camera vs justice.

ETA: I also don't think "media whore" meant the same thing in 94/95 that it does now. That's a hard concept to explain.

[save lilo!]

Apr 3, 2016 3:04:53 GMT -4 smitten said:

I think at the time a lot of people felt he was playing to the cameras or at least way more aware of them than necessary to do his job. All the side bars, side "trials," and conferences made people think he was more worried about how his decisions played to the camera vs justice.

Well that's understandable given the climate in LA at the time. Everybody was afraid of another riot. Did the fact that Ito was Asian (not black, not white) contribute to him being selected for the trial?

[angelaudie]

True, it's unfair to suggest Marcia Clark is the only one who holds the opinion Ito was a famewhore. I meant though she's only source, as far as I can tell, with the claims Ito was regularly holding court with celebs in his chambers. I'm not saying it's not true but since she's made it no secret she has a axe to grind against Ito it does make me question just how reliable she is here. If he did do that it's pretty twisted and a definite WTF?! Though among many WTF?! this case would have.

For the record, I'm not an Ito lover. He made horrible decisions during the trial. His decision to allow the case to be aired live on tv contributed to the media circus and began the horrific trend of trials being a source of entertainment. He struggled to control his courtroom and allowed defense to get away with antics they never should have (i.e. allowing the jury to still tour Simpson's house even after it was brought to his attention the defense had altered it).

Another interesting fact is so many those on the state side had great reputations pre-trial. Ito was said to be a tough but fair judge. Marcia Clark had a reputation of being a brilliant prosecuting attorney who knew how to connect with juries. Chris Darden was a great attorney who a bright future ahead of them. But, thanks in large part to this trial, those reputations went down the drain.

ETA: FYI Esquire is reairing the trial today. Opening arguments are being played right now.

[Deleted]

I don't understand why the personal connection between the Itos and Furhman wasn't a clear reason for mistrial and a grounds for an investigation into the matter and possible disciplinary action against Lance Ito. I say "the Itos" personal connection because I refuse to believe Ito's wife Peggy York didn't discuss with her husband what she endured while working with Mark Fuhrman. I refuse to believe that he wasn't aware of her negative experiences with Fuhrman until he heard the tapes, as the show suggests. That's fucking ridiculous. He knew who Furhman was, and if he loves his wife, he hates that fucking guy. And that fucking guy he hates happens to be the detective in this case who was responsible for key evidence (namely, the bloody glove). Evidence that the defense asserted was planted. I hate how this situation is characterized as the judge's scheming, ambitious wife lying to further husband's career without his knowledge. Peggy York must love her husband very, very much to have taken the blame and allowed this sexist narrative to play out to this day.

Here's what Marcia Clark had to say about Ito's touching speech about the difficulties of women in the workplace:

“Then he began speaking of the difficult road that women had to walk in a man’s profession, how women take a lot of hits for having to be tough. The irony of it left me breathless. For a year now, I had been browbeaten by this man, suffering the very difficulties that moistened his eyes when he spoke of his wife. Oh, when it suited his Kodak moment, he was Mr. Sensitivity.”

[laboria]

Episode 10: Verdict

1. Cochran received death threats, so he brings in the NOI? I'm on Shapiro's side with that one.
2. The guard getting the football signed, really?
3. I always thought, based on watching legal shows, that a quick verdict was not guilty, but the prosecutors thought it meant guilty.
4. Still bugs that Kardashian towers over OJ in this miniseries.
5. I think everyone involved knew their lives had blown up right when the verdict was announced.
6. I never thought about that this was right after the Rodney King verdicts. Two separate issues to me.
7. Preach Darden (in scene with Cochran, which I do not believe really happened)
8. The helicopters watched him leave jail?
9. This idiot threw a party backed by Star magazine?
10. Did Kato live at the house during the trial?

Watching this, I see why the guy in the place where I watched the verdict assumed I was happy, because it looked like reactions split along racial lines. I wonder how I would have felt being aware of everything surrounding this case, but at the time I just wanted to know guilty/not guilty. I had no feelings either way, other than most murders are commited by someone close to you. I also feel for Clark and Darden, because they lost their careers behind this. Now I'll watch the show that @highondegrassi recommended on the ID channel. I'm nervous because I think some of those Furman tapes will be played, which will be upsetting. I also wonder, in light of CTE, if that played a factor. I think the first wife said he never hit her. Hopefully he will donate his brain.

[Ella]

7. Preach Darden (in scene with Cochran, which I do not believe really happened)

______________________________________________________

I read that they had many conversations between them and cochran mentioned that he would help Darden re enter the community in one of them. Loved the slapback from Daren. Sterling Brown was my favorite in the series.Brown has so much charisma. I was chrushing on him.
Great series. I thought it would be campy when I first hear about the show but it was very well done and acted. I hope Brown,Vance and Paulson win Emmys.

[Ladybug]

The finale was perfect. I hope this show cleans up at the Emmys.

I remember the helicopter following the van. It kind of bookended the Bronco chase. I don't remember Kim Goldman screaming though, did that happen? Also questioning the juror's black power salute to OJ (who looked totally perplexed). Marcia and Chris's closing statements seemed almost word for word accurate.

The two scenes that got me the most were the Goldmans walking through the parking garage after all that had happened and just sitting there wondering " what do we do now?" What a horrible ordeal this was for them. And Darden's speech to Cochran. I doubt that really happened but it was a good way to address some of the bigger issues of the trial/show. Cochran was absolutely right about the LAPD, but OJ is still a murderer. The verdict didn't change anything. Hindight's 20/20, but I liked the way the writers put a lot into context with this scene.

[scarlet]

That was a great finale. All the performances were fantastic and I hope it gets a lot of awards. This brought back a lot of memories for me and just shame on Johnnie Cochran for using the murders of two people as a platform to expose racism in the LAPD. Two separate issues and, as Darden said, it ultimately changed nothing. That the jury bought into it--and so quickly--well, I don't know how the Goldmans and Browns ever got over that, but I hope they've found some peace knowing OJ got some karma in the end.

[Baby Fish Mouth]

At least the Goldmans did go on to nail O.J. at the civil trial. Even if they never got anywhere close to the amount they deserved, it was an important symbolic victory.

Robert Kardashian was like a character from a Shakespearean tragedy. I know Schwimmer's taken some heat for his portrayal, but I thought he was really good in the finale.

I wonder what the jurors think of their verdict now. Have any of them expressed regret?